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Virginia 

Prcparc^I by tbe 

American Ulool, cotton, 
and Financial Reporter, 



FR/VMK p. BENMETT, Editor. 



• • • 



• • • 



PUBLISHED BY THE 

NORFOLK 6- WESTERN RAILROAD COMPANY, 

AND GRATUITOUSLY DISTRIBUTED FOR THE PROMOTION 
OF SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN VIRGINIA, 



\ 



Prepared and printed by the American Wool, 
Cftton, and Financial Reporter, and distributed 
with the compliments of the 

Norfolk & \A^estern Railroad. 



The American 

Wool, Cotton, and Financiai. 

Reporter, 

19 Pearl Street, Boston. 

335 Broadway, New York. 

241 Chestnut Street. Philadelphia. 



^^)^ 



SHEEP HUSBANDRY IN VIRGINIA. 



CHAPTER I. 

No better explanation can be made of the purpose of this little pam 
phlet than to print the following letter which the editor of the Wool 
Reporter received recently from the Vice-President of that very enter- 
prising corporation, the Norfolk & Western Railroad : — 

. Roanoke, Va., April 20, 1891. 
Editor American Wool Reporter: 

As you probably know, I am greatly interested in increasing the sheep 
flocks along our line. Our railroad runs from Hagerstown, Md., to Bristol, 
Tenn., and to Norton, Va., through a purely limestone country, the best 
water and the best sheep-raising country in America, with a more equable 
climate than any other portion of the United States. In support of this 
statement, see page 46 of the Norfolk & Western Reference Book, giving 
the average temperature at Wytheville, Va., for a period of fifteen yeai's, a 
copy of which book I send you by this mail, mider separate cover. My 
attention has been attracted to the article on page 498 of your issue of 
April 2, under the heading of " The Leading Breeds of Sheep, — Cots- 
wolds." Have you ever published like articles, with cuts, on the merinos, 
Shropshires, Leicesters, Oxfords, Lincolns, Hampshires, and SouthdownsV 
If so, could you not take the cuts and the articles, and prepare us a pam- 
phlet, of which I could distribute 20,000 or 30,000 copies among the farmers 
along our line, with some general information as to the care of sheep, 
manner of handling, housing, and pasturing so as not to use up the past- 
ure? I am very desirous of bringing together the sheep-raisers of our 
section and the breeders of high-grade rams and ewes in New England, 
and especially of « the Cots wolds and Merinos. I believe that if we can do 
this, an 1 give our farmers information early this summer, they will double 
their flocks, and we can make Virginia one of the greatest wool-producing 
States of tlie Union. Of course, in giving this information in the pamphlet, 
I want the best and most reliable information to be had, with cuts, similar 
to the one in your issue of April 2, of all breeds of sheep. Please let me 
hear from you early. 

I have sent a marked copy of your paper, calling their attention to the 
prizes you offer to wool-growers, to one of our papers. If you will send me 
ten or more of these papers, I will endeavor to get this article copied into 
the newspapers along our line. You will notice that in the map in our 
Reference Book the mountain ranges are shown. All of the territory 
lying between the Blue Ridge, on the east, and the extreme western range 
of the Alleghanies, on the west, is a limestone country, extending clear 
through, almost to Chattanooga, Tenn. 

Yours truly, 

Chas. G. Eddy, Vice-PreskienL 

As Mr. Eddy expressed a desire that the work should be begun 
immediately, the present little pamphlet is somewhat less complete than 
would otherwise be the case ; but any questions which residents along the 
line of the Norfolk & Western Railroad may care to ask at any time 



respecting the breeding and care of sheep will receive attention by address- 
ing the Amp:r£CAx Wool Repoktek at either of its offices, 19 Pearl Street, 
Boston, 385 Broadway, New York, or 241 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. 

The first requirement of a human being in its advent into this world is 
something to eat ; the second, something to wear. It is of the leading 
representative of the animal kingdom which is foremost in producing this 
material, which more largely clothes mankind than any other, the sheep, 
that we wish to speak. The history of this very useful animal antedates 
that of all other domestic animals, and is coeval with that of man, simply 
because there is no domesticated animal combining so nearly in itself man- 
kind's necessities, food and raiment. 



CHAPTER IL 

THE AMERICAN MERINO. 

As che merino is the leading type of sheep in America to-day, and as 
the fine wool which it produces constitutes the bulk of the material con- 
sumed by the manufacturers of woollen cloths in the United States, we will 
first consider the salient features of this popular breed found roaming, 
not only over the wide pastoral areas of Texas, but on the ranches of the 
vast states and territories of the great Far West, and in much smaller num- 
bers in its primitive American home, the less limited areas of the Middle 
wool-producing States and the sheep-folds of Vermont and Maine. Let us 
speak more particularly of the Spanish merino. 

The Spanish merino, originally imported into this country, was quite 
different from the American merino of to-day. Unciuestionably, there is 
no variety of this sheep in tlie world which surpasses it. First imported into 
this country, from the sunny slopes of Spain, more than ninety years ago, 
it has, under the watcliful eye and constant care of the American husband- 
man, been moulded, like unto a plastic clay in the hands of the potter, until 
it would seem as though the heaii ideal of this popular br^ed had now been 
reached. That the rapid strides which have been accomplished in the di- 
rection of improvement may be more obvious, let us briefly review the 
merino's early history in America and its original condition. 

In examining the archives which record the first importation of merino 
sheep into the United States, the first authentic date we have is 1798. It 
was in that year that Hon. Win. Porter, of Boston, prestited to Mr. An- 
drew Craigie, of Cambridge, Mass., two ewes and a ram brought over on the 
ship "Bald Eagle." Then in 1801 a French banker, Delessert by name, 
imported four ram tegs from France, three of which died on the voyage. 
It was in this year that Mr. Adams, of Zanesville, Ohio, imported from 
France a pair of merinos. Next came the importation by Cliancellor Liv- 
ingston, American Minister to France, in 1802, who sent four purchased 
from the government flock at Chalons. Soon after he sent over a ram 
from the famous flock at Rambouillet. At Clermont, the home of Chancel- 
lor Livingston, in 1809 was held a shearing, and there was, on this occasion, 
a ram 14 months old, named "Clermont," which clipped a fleece of 9 
pounds and 6 ounces; live weight, 126 pounds. This is the first public 
shearing, of which we have a record, that was held in the United States. 
The weight of the rams imported at about this time ranged fiom 100 to 130 
pounds, and their fleeces from 5 to 10 pounds of unwashed wool. The ewes 
averaged from 50 to 55 pounds each, and yielded unwashed fleeces averag- 
ing from 4 to 6 pounds. The grade or common ewes, often termed natives, 
averaged, about this time, from 3 to 4|^ poimds ; i^-bloods the result of one 
cro«s with the merino, about 5 pounds ; and |-blood, second cross, from 5^ 
to 7^ pounds, — thus showing the steady gain in weight as the blood of the 
merino became infused into the flocks. It is recorded that the price for 
i-blood wool was 75 cents, for |-blood .fl.25, and for | $1.50, anrl for pure 
merino $2 per pound. 




Infantado Ewe of the beginning of the present century, described in the accompanying pages. 




Modern Merino Ewe, showing what has been accomplished by selection and breeding, as describea 
in the accompanying pagesi 



4 

The IMassachiisetts Agricultural Society oiferecl in 1802 a preuiiuni of 
$50 for the importatiou of a pair of sheep of superior breed. Colonel David 
Humphreys, Minister to the Court of Spain, contracted with a party to 
deliver to him, at Lisbon, 25 rams and 75 ewes, from one to two years old, 
which were driven across the country of Portugal by three Spanish shep- 
herds, escorted by a small guard of Portuguese soldiers. After fifty days' 
voyage they were landed at Derby, Conn., being transferred at New York 
to a small sloop. The severity of the voyage had by this time reduced the 
number to 21 rams and 70 ewes. For this importation Colonel Hum- 
phreys received a gold medal from the Massachusetts Society. Both Colonel 
Humplireys and Chancellor Livingston were large purchasers from the 
Duke of Infantado's flock. The Duke of Infantado had 40,000 sheep, and 
there is evidence that over 2,000 of them were purchased and brought to the 
United States in 1810 and 1811. 

Upon page 3 of this pamphlet is presented a picture of one of the 
lufautado merino ewes of the beginning of the present century. Upon the 
same page is presented a modern merino ewe, showing what has been ac- 
complished by .selection and breeding. The average merino to-day shears 
more than twice as great a percentage of fleece to live weight as did the 
very best specimens of which we have any account at the beginning of the 
present century. 

Our merino sheep have also increased materially in size since their first 
importation from Spain. Our rams weigh at least one-fourth more than 
the old Spanish rams did seventy-five years ago. 

Moreover, the great improvements which have been made in the weight 
of fleeces, the beauty of form, and the size and strength of the merino sheep, 
have not been at the sacrifice of quality of wool. In a work published in the 
early part of the present century a leading writer says : " AH the wools of 
Spain that I have examined — not excepting the prime Leonese, the most 
esteemed of any — appear to me to contain much more jar than that of 
Rambouillet. Everything seems to evince that we shall soon totally banish 
this hard, intractable hair, so hurtful to the manufacturer, from our fleeces." 

In an early work on this subject, the number of fibres that were many 
years since found grown on an inch of surface of merino sheep was given as 
40,000 to 48,000. A year or two ago some Vermont breeders of an investi- 
gating spirit killed a healthy, thrifty animal with a fine compact fleece, and, 
before the pelt had time to dry and shrink in the least, an inch square was 
cai'efully cut from the shoulder. A microscopic examination showed 222,- 
300 fibres. 

It seems to have fallen upon the farmers among the green hills of Ver- 
mont to develop the merino from these early dates onward. The herbage 
of her hills, the health-giving air and water, the near proximity of moun- 
tains, and, above all, her clay soil, seemed admirably adapted for the highest 
development of this gxade of sheep. The western portion of the State, par- 
ticularly among the clay hillsides of Addison and Rutland Counties, was 
where they were clustered the thickest, and where good care, feed, and man- 
agement brought them rapidly out of their comparatively low standard. 
As originally imported from Spain, these sheep were rather ungainly in 
shape. The legs and faces were bare of wool, horns scraggy, fleeces open; 
i.e., lacking in density and shearing light fleeces. In 1850 the average weight 
of fleece of the sheep of Vermont w^as 3 pounds, 5| ounces; of the United 
States, 2 pounds, 6| ounces. The largest increase of the average weight of 
fleeces in Vermont appears to be between 1850 and 1870, and is regarded as 
a strong argument in favor of the cultivation of the- heavy shearing, greasy 
merinos, which are the animals which have raised the American shearing 
standard to its present position. In 1860 'he fleeces of the sheep of Ver- 
mont had increased to 4 pounds, 2^ ounces, as is chronicled in the records 
of the Vermont Merino Shtep Breeders' Association, and the average fleeco 
of the United States to 2 pounds, 10| ounces. 



DISPERSION OF TIIK MERINO. 

With the opening of the llebelliou came an active request for all the 
products of the farm and factory, and a consequent stimulation of sheep- 
breeding throughout tlie country at once occurred. Many were the car- 
loads of thoroughbred merinos, from tlie best of Vermont flocks, that were 
pulled westward into the States of Ohio, ]\Iichigan, Wisconsin, and other 
wool-growing sections, and dispersed for the improvement of grade flocks. 
The desirability of crossing on this class of sheep was at once seen; and 
during 1877 there were shipped from one station alone in Vermont 29i- 
carloads, averaging over 100 head in each. 

On ]\larch 2;^, lb7G, the Vermont JMerino Sheep Breeders' Association 
was formed, the object being to preserve the purity of the Spanish merino 
race of sheep, and to encourage further improvement. The success of this 
association led to the formation of those of a like character in other States, 
and the good work they have done is everywhere evident. 

During the years following 1877 more sheep found their way into 
States fai'ther west ; an,d the ranges of Montana, Wyoming, Texas, Colorado, 
New Mexico, and other range sections absorbed not only Vermont's small 
surplus, but that of Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and less important States. 
The merino is a noble sheep. Outnumliering many times all other breeds, 
it certainly deserves the primary consideration we have accorded it. It 
is interesting to note that in 1850 tlie heaviest shearing stock rams cut 
a fleece of only about 18 pounds; while at tlie present day rams shearing 
30, 35, 40, and even 45 2>ounds, are not infrequent, and there are many 
ewes that will shear 16, 18, 20, and occasionally 25 pounds. Great even- 
ness and density of fleece have also been attained. Quite a number of rams' 
fleeces have yielded over 9 pounds of scoured wool each, and ewes' over 7. 



CHAPTER ITI. 

THE DELAINE MERINO. 

Previous to 1868 the merino sheep had yielded exclusively what are 
known as clothing wools, which are carded instead of being combed. 
But in the year just named the enterprise of an eminent manufacturer, 
]\Ir. E. R. Mudge, of Boston, Mass., now deceased, resulted in planting in 
this country a branch of textile industry until then unknown ; namely, 
that of combing, spinning, and weaving into fine worsted goods the longer 
selections of fine merino wools under the name of delaine. This new 
process of combing instead of carding is one in which the fibres, or strands, 
of wool are laid parallel with each other and spun out tlie full length in 
yarn, thus getting all tlie strength of the fibre. It is thereby susceptible 
of being made the finest as well as the strongest and most durable of all 
fabrics of wool production. The goods known as " diagonals," or some 
patterns of worsted cloth, have become more popular than any other fabric 
for use for men's wear. The popularity of this class of fabrics soon 
developed a breed of sheep especially calculated to produce delaine wools. 

Tlie Delaine INIerino has become a new family, formed by a cross of 
the Spanish and Black Top Merino families. It is larger than the Span- 
ish or Vermont merino, is smooth-bodied, well formed, compactly built, 
possesses a vigorous constitution, and has a mutton carcass such as in the 
early days of sheep-breeding w^ould not have been accepted in fine wool 
sheep. The fleece is dense, fine, and clean white, and of a length of about 
three inches at one year's growth. A weight of I.jO pounds for rains and 
100 pounds for ewes is claimed at maturity. These sheep are largely domi- 
ciled in Wa>.hington County, Pennsylvania, and in the neighboring counties 
of Ohio and West Virginia. We present, on page 5, an excellent cut of 
a group of Delaine Merino ewes, bred and owned by IMr. J. C. McNary, of 



''1 



% 



" Fine View Farm," Houstonville, Pa. Sheepmen in Washington County, 
Pennsylvania, who had been breeders of Vermont merinos for half a cen- 
tury, have turned tlieir attention within the past twenty years to the more 
vigorous and larger sheep known as Delaine Merinos with great success. 
By a comparison of the sheep on page 5 with the modern merino ewe shown 
on page 3, the reader will note the absence of wrinkles and the smoother 
character of the fleece of the delaine merino. 

Concerning these sheep we have just received the following letter. The 
samples of wool sent with the letter were beautiful fine delaine staple, 
measuring over five inches in length : — 

McConnell's Mills, Washington County, Pa., 

May 6, 1891. 
Editor of the A merican Wool Reporter : 

Yours of the 2d inst. received. Will send you electrotype by express. 
Also enclose you a few samples of wool at one year's growth from ewes and 
rams of different ages. Will state that I have three hundred head of thor- 
oughbred delaines that will average 10 pounds merchantable wool. You 
can see from the cut the make-up of the sheej^. Have had a good Western 
trade, and sell from 4<) to GO rams each season. Have on hand now 6.5 
choice rams, yeai'lings, and two-year-olds for the trade this fall. Stock 
recorded in Vols. 1 and 4 National Delaine Merino Register. The delaines 
can be easier handled than most other fine-woolled breeds, being free from 
wrinkles and with only a sufficient amount of grease to keep the fleece in a 
bright and healthful condition. Rams weigh at maturity from 150 to 180 
pounds, and a chance one will weigh as high as 200 pounds. Ewes will 
weigh at maturity from 110 to 140 pounds. Rams shear from 14 to 20 and 
22 pounds. Ewes shear from 8 to 14 pounds, the quality of woul you find 
enclosed. > 

I write you these few points to show what we consider the all-purpose 
sheep, witli plenty of wool on a good mutton carcass. 

In this part of the State, as well as all through the Ohio Valley, the 
smooth-bodied delaines have been taking the lead over the wrinklers, as 
breeders can keep more of them together to a better advantage than the oily 
ones, Spanish breeds, or of the coarser mutton breeds. 

Respectfully, 

L. A. Russell. 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE SOUTHDOWN : ITS ORIGIN AND ADAPTATION TO VIRGINIA. 

The improved sheep of modern times may be divided into three classes ; 
namely, the fine-wool sheep, the middle-wool sheep, and the coarse-wool 
sheep. The merino, or fine-wool type of sheep, has already been described. 
The limits of the present pamphlet are too brief to admit of a description of 
all the varieties of middle-wool sheep. We will consequently devote the 
largest share of attention in this class to the Southdowns. 

There is a growing demand in America for mutton and mutton sheep. 
The feeling of depression that existed in wool-growing circles until within 
the past six mouths, particularly among breeders whose sole aim in flock 
management was to keep sheep simply for the wool they produced, has, 
without question, led to a more general appreciation of the mutton breeds 
and a recognition that a small flock of such sheep can be kept with profit, 
however discouraging the wool prospect may appear. 

This consideration of affairs has been brought home with far more 
force to the sheep raisers in the Eastern and Middle States than in Western 
ranges. It has received far more recognition from breeders owning high- 
priced lands on which higher forms of agriculture must be pursued than 
the production of wool alone, in order to insure a profit. The great value 



8 

of sheep to the land is, of course, unquestioned; but these mutton biveds 
pay for themselves at the butchers, leaving the vi^ool and the benefit to the 
land for net profit. Certainly, the coupling of mutton production with 
wool-growing should never be overlooked in discussing the question of fair 
remuneration in sheep husbandry. 

The number and importance of the British breeds of sheep cannot fail 
to attract the attention of all who give any thought to the matter. If we 
will but think for a moment, we shall indeed be surprised to find that an 
island of so small an area should contain so many distinct bi'eeds of any 
domestic animal. The English sheep f.armer has taken much pride in his 
pursuit, and given it his best intelligence. In his nearness to markets, he 
has been always fortunate. His high-priced lands have allowed of his keep- 
ing nothing but a general-purpose sheep, and it has naturally enough been 
left to him to develop the mutton breeds to a condition nearer perfection 
than has ever been attained by breeders in any other country; while, on the 
other hand, it is the flockmaster of the United States into whose hands has 
been thrown the destiny of the range sheep, the merino. In his pursuit, 
the English sheep fai'mer has been very successful ; and the cities and towns 
of the kingdom, containing many of the greatest workshops in the world, 
have consumed his very palatable mutton. 

Among the foremost breeds of mutton sheep stand the Southdowns, 
tersely and accurately described on the Leicester monument, at Holkhara, 
England, as "small in size, but great in value." It is upon the chalk lands 
of England's southern counties, the ridge of lands lying south of London, 
called the Southdowns, that we find the primitive home of the Southdown 
sheep, — the downs of Sussex; and it is upon these pastoral areas tiiey have 
fed and been known since the days of William the Conqueror. 

The original Southdown was small in size, long and thin in the neck, 
high on the shoulders, high on the loins, low behind down on the rumps. 
The ribs were flat, the fore-quarters were narrow, but the legs were good, 
still the bone was quite large. The fleece was also light, and it was not 
considered that the sheep had arrived at maturity for fattening until it was 
three years old. It appears that the improvement began at about the 
period of the war between Great Britain and America, the recognized su- 
periority of the wool greatly stimulating the improvement. A Southdown 
fleece was then considered as fine wool, bringing a high price and generally 
utilized for carding purposes. Since the popular merino became better 
known, and as fine wool from this breed continued to grow in favor, the 
Southdown has been classed with the middle-wool type of sheep. 

There have been exhibited at the Fat Stock Show, in London, speci- 
mens of wethers from this breed that have weighed from 250 to 260 pounds 
each ; but of course sheep of such large size do not produce so fine a text- 
ured flesh. They are inclined to be coarse and thin, mutton is not so tender 
and savory as that of the smaller-sized animals, weighing, say 100 to 175 
pounds alive, when well fattened. Beyond these latter weights the breeders 
of the United States ai'e advised not to venture; for, if the size be increased 
too much, they are not apt to thrive well, for they are fitted to rough past- 
ures and short herbage. Successful breeders always aim to secure uniform- 
ity of character in their flocks, and it is then that the ewes shall look as 
near alike as two peas. 

It is said that Southdown mutton commands a higher price than any 
other English sort. The breed is certainly one of the oldest and purest of 
the mutton classes, and is unquestionably unexcelled. There is strong 
rivalry between this and other breeds, but it has lost none of its popularity. 
Its docility and beauty have always made it a particular favorite with the 
rich, while its excellent feeding qualities have won for it much endearment 
among all who are acquainted with it. Besides the superior quality of its 
flesh, there is an added merit in its composition, being largely comj^osed of 
lean meat, the fat being well distributed throughout, not unlike that of a 
well-fed shorthorn. 




M 



10 

The illustration which accompanies this article represents a group of 
Southdowns bred and owned by R. W. & L. M. Crothers, Taylorstown 
Station, Washington County, Pa. They are registered in the American 
Southdown Record, and are as handsome specimens of the breed as one 
often sees. The animal which stands on the higher ground in the picture 
is a ram of no mean merit. The handsome contour of his body certainly 
suggests his value as a sire, and that his progeny will rank high for the 
excellence of their mutton and wool. 

A well-known authority in sheep has thought it quite probable that the 
original Southdown breed was horned, for the reason that during his day it 
was not unusual to find among the buck lambs specimens with small horns. 
The dark hue of head and legs of these sheep, he believed, not only proved 
the original color, which he holds was black, but the much later period 
when it was attempted to get rid of this dingy color. There are also others 
who believe that, if the breed were to relapse into, a wUd state, it would 
become black. 

Last season our American breeders of English sheep secured some 
valuable types of the Southdown breed. In August of this year, which is 
the date at which the public sales occur in England, it is expected that 
other large purchases will be made for this country. While mutton prices 
have not been high this season, there has been enough discrimination in 
fdvor of the best to vindicate the policy of catering to the requests of those 
who ai'e willing to pay for a good thing. Considered from a point of 
healthfulness, mutton is without a peer. Besides, it is cheaper than either 
beef or pork. Let us cultivate the English breeds of sheep, cultivate a 
taste for mutton, and we shall grow healthier, wealthier, and wiser. 



CHAPTER V. 

SOME MISCELLANEOUS MIDDLE-WOOL TYPES OF SHEEP. 

Leslie, N.Y., April 18, 1891. 
Editor of the American Wool Reporter: 

I have about 150 high-bred merino ewes. With what breed should I 
cross them to produce a good quality of combing or delaine wool ? Wili 
you have the kindness to answer through the Reporter, and benefit many 
wool-growers ? I, for one, have got tired of growing wool at 25 cents per 
pound, if I can do better. Very respectfully, 

Geo. N. Brown. 

[Our reply to Mr. Brown will be found in the editorial below entitled 
•' To Reclaim New England Farms." — Ed.] 

TO RECLAIM NEW ENGLAND FARMS. 

[From the American Wool Reporter, April 30, 1891.] 

We are very glad to answer the questions propounded by Mr. Brown, 
of Leslie, N.Y., since The Reporter has never favored the excessive par- 
tiality for thoroughbred merinos which prevails among many American 
flockmasters. If Mr. Brown's merinos are of large size, we would recom- 
mend him to cross them with large Hampshire or Shropshire bucks, and 
the result will be a crossbred sheep which will yield a very excellent and 
useful combing wool. If his sheep are small merinos, the cross with the 
large Hampshire or Shropshire bucks would be too severe, and the ewes 
would have hardly milk enough for the lambs. In this case, he should 
mike the first cross with the smaller Southdown rams; and he may then 
cross the first generation ■with the Hampshire or Shropshire bucks to secure 
ttie desired wools, combined with .tu excellent carcass for mutton purposes. 
We prefer the Hampshires, Shropshires, and Southdowns to the Oxfords, as 



11 

the fleeces of the last-named are looser and less adapted to withstand the 
inclemency of the weather. 

The Southdown is a hardy little animal, with a tight fleece, which 
enables it to live out of doors the year round, and with a constitution which 
enables it to keep fat on next to nothing. The Hampshire Down possesses 
many of the same characteristics, with a heavier carcass. Mr. Brown can 
make money by turning his attention to this class of sheep. 

Just now a good deal is being said in the newspapers and in the legis- 
latures about the abandoned farms of New England. The man who can't 
take one of these deserted farms, with a little capital and a moderate 
degree of business sense, and make it pay 10 per cent, net by the judicious 
application of sheep husbandry would be an exception. Mr. E. F. Bow- 
ditch, the celebrated stock farmer of Framingham, Mass., once gave us an 
instance of his purchase of a worn out pasture of 44 acres, which had pre- 
viously supported 7 cows with difficulty. He kept 350 sheep on this past- 
ure for 5 years ; and it now supports 21 cows where the 7 lean kine previ- 
ously dragged out a precarious and unsatisfactory existence. 

To produce a delaine wool, we would recommend that this party of 
merino ewes be crossed with a Black Top, or delaine, merino ram, such as is 
bred in the counties of Washington, Greene, and Alleghany in Pennsyl- 
vania and in Eastern Ohio. Such wools as these sheep produce seLl for 
36 @ 37 cents, washed, in Boston to-day. Besides, the delaines have been 
bred large, and make excellent mutton. 

DORSET HORNED SHEEP. 

53 & 55 John St., New York, May 21, 1890. 
Editor of the A merican Wool Reporter : 

I have been informed that the " Dorset Horned " breed of sheep are 
very prolific, and pay well when raised for mutton. Can you give me any 
information concerning them? Yours truly, 

S. M. Colgate. 

[The Dorset Horns are a breed but recently introduced into this coun- 
try, and as yet are only being experimented with. Thus far they are very 
well liked. The ewes are excellent mothers, and are very productive, rais- 
ing two lambs each, and occasionally three. In England they are bred 
almost exclusively for the raising of lambs for the Christmas market. 
Lambs at 60 days old often weigh from 50 to 60 pounds. At six months 
they will weigh from 100 to 125 pounds. Mr. M. M. Small, of Coopers- 
town, Pa., reports a ewe imported from England, now about six years 
old, who in less than sixteen months produced nine living sheep and one 
dead Iamb. Another valuable feature of this breed is that they will not 
run when pursued by dogs, but get together and assume the offensive ; and 
the dogs stand a poor show. The leading breeder of Dorsets in New Eng- 
land has been E. F. Bowditch, Framingham, Mass. ; but he has lately 
turned his attention to other breeds. — Ed.] 

SHEEP-RAISING IN WEST VIRGINIA. 

New York, May 8, 1800. 
Editor of the American Wool Reporter : 

I am contemplating the raising of sheep in West Virginia. Will you 
please send me the names of wool-raisers in West Virginia who laie 
mi-rino sheep? Any pamphlets which you may know of on ihe- I'ai^ing- of 
sheep in West Virginia, and what kind it is best to keep at presnut, whether 
a wool or mutton sheep, I shall be glad to receive. Awaiting your r pl,\, 
I remain. Yours truly, ' s. M. " 

[The most popular breed of merino or fine-wool sheep in Western 
Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio to-day, is the delaine type. 



12 

Recent attempts at sheep-breeding in the eastern wool-growing sections 
of the United States have demonstrated that we must breed a sheep suited 
for mutton as well as wool, and the delaine type seems to be a golden mean 
between the two extiemes of the strictly mutton breed and the wrinkly, 
greasy merino, suited only for wool. 

Some of the leading breeders of this type in "West Virginia are : Geo. E. 
Sisson, Roney's Point ; Eakin Bros., Wadestown ; Charles A. Allen, Lime- 
stone; and William F. Archer, Majorsville. Further information could be 
obtained by addressing these gentlemen or James McClelland, secretary 
Delaine Association, Canonsburg, Pa., or W. G. Berry, secretary Black Top 
Association. Houstonville, Pa., who have also for sale the stock registers of 
the associations. — Ed.] 

FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL WOOL 
GROWERS' ASSOCIATION. 

The writer of the following letter, Hon. A. M. Garland, was formerly 
president of the National Association of Wool Growers, and is now Secre- 
tary of the Home Market Club of Illinois and of the Illinois branch of the 
American Protective Tariff League : — 

Chicago, May 16, 1891. 
Editor of (he American Wool Reporter : 

As a reader of the American Wool Reporter, I have been especially 
interested by ihe effort of the Norfolk & Western R.R. to secure attention 
to tiie advan ages offered by the country along its line for profitable sheep 
husbandry. Ithas been my privilege to t avel over much of the country 
referred to, and I could not fail to note its adaptability for flock culture. 
The Virginia*, old and new, are blessed with a climate that happily com- 
promi.ses between the extremes of rigorous winters to the north and those 
equally formidable drawbacks so fiequently encountered by aspiring stock- 
raisers in the Gulf States; and, when to this is added near proximity to 
markets for both mutton and wool, there seems nothing lacking for success- 
ful sheep husbandry except the same neive to invest and determination to 
push business that have secured ascendency under less favoring conditions. 
It is now a good many years since I first called attention to the Appalachian 
country as a land of great promise for flock culture, and subsequent observa- 
tion and inquiry have confirmed the correctness of those earlier impressions. 
May present efforts in this behalf be more successful ! 

Very truly yours, A. M. Garland. 



CHAPTER VL 

THE C OTS W O L D. 

While the various British breeds of sheep, the Shropshires, the Leices- 
ters, the Oxfords, the Lincolns, the llampshires, and ottiers, all have their 
friends and fervent admirers, there are none of these famous mutton breeds 
that are so justly entitled to "claims of long descent" and none which have 
borne a more important part in the improvement of favorite English breeds, 
than the Cotswoid. 

By referring to the famous writers of the fifteenth and sixteenth cen- 
turies, such as Markham, Drayton, Camden, Stowe, and others, there is a 
repleteness of evidence of the early celebrity of this ancient sheep. In fact, 
allusions in those days were so distinct that there is no mistaking their 
meaning, — that exceptional preference was early accorded the Cotswoid. 
Historians and poets alike bestowed hii^h praise, pronouiiciug the Cotswoid 



13 

wool as " most fine and soft," as " held in passing great account among na-' 
tions," of "abundant fleece" and "wealthy locks." As a proof of its 
antiquity, there are records that in 1437 Cotswold wool was imported to 
Spain, and in 1468 Cotswold rams were shipped to that sunny southern 
land as presents from English to Spanish monarchs. Let us go still further 
back in the early ages. 

We know that the history of the meek and lowly sheep antedates that 
of all other domestic animals, and is really coeval with that of man. Abel, 
the illustrious son of Adam and Eve, was engaged in the sheep business; 
and, as the history of the Cotswold extends further back upon the pages of 
history than other breeds, we cannot but believe his flock must iiave been 
of Cotswolds or merinos, and that Cain, utterly discouraged in following the 
vocation of tilling the soil, became envious of his brother as he whistled 
along over the heaths with his sheep, and wool going up every day, and 
sought to slay him. Be that as it may, we find that in the twelfth century 
the Cotswold was introduced into England from Spain by Eleanor, Queen of 
Henry II. of England; and it is a well-authenticated fact that there existed 
in Spain, as early as a.d. 41, a breed of coarse, long- wool sheep. 

The home of the Cotswold sheep is found in that area of low, calcareous 
hills in the eastern portion of the county of Gloucester, England, a tract 
formerly bleak wastes, used for sheep pastures. Here they were subject to 
bleak winds on the rich herbage always produced by limestone soil, it 
being the practice of the shepherds to graze them here, and fatten them in 
the protected valleys of Gloucestershire. Gloucester County is in south- 
western England, and is drained by the Severn River, as it nears the Bristol 
Channel. The country has three natural divisions, the hill, the vale, and 
the forest, nearly parallel. This hilly country consists entirely of the Cots- 
wolds, which extend the entire length, at about an average elevation of 600 
feet, sometimes rising to 1,200 feet above the level of the sea, and embrac- 
ing an area of nearly 300,000 acres of rolling tableland. The valleys are 
extremely fertile, and these extend from the base of the Cotswolds to the 
east bank of the Severn. 

The leading characteristics of the modern Cotswold are its remarkable 
combination of massive proportions of frame and its constitution, capable of 
enduring much hardship and exposure and appearing perfectly cosmopoli- 
tan on all sorts of soils. In the northern latitudes of the United States the 
Cotswold turned out in the yards among the cattle and allowed to shift for 
itself thrives where the merino, under similar conditions, would perish. 
Thus the Cotswold, from the bleak exposed Cotswold hills of Britain, dis- 
plays in its constitution the results of environment. They are well adapted 
to grazing on short pastures, and are really the largest sheep in the world, 
standing high, with long, broad backs, overhanging rumps, and full-set 
fleeces. Generally they have white faces and legs ; but occasionally we 
find them mottled, and sometimes gray in color. The Cotswold frame is 
large, lengthy, and wide, the ribs are well sprung, level back and good legs 
of mutton. The neck is quite long and arched, the eyes are prominent, the 
crown of the head well wooUed, the rams often carrying locks which hang 
down over their eyes. 

The princiiial objection to the Cotswold's mutton is the disproportion 
of fat and lean, there being too much of the former. There should of 
course be a proper intermingling, in order to have an attractively marbled 
flesh. Improved methods of feeding, however, will greatly improve this 
defect; for, where a judicious method of fattening has been pursued, an 
amelioration of the trouble is noticeable. 

The fleece of the Cotswold is renowned for great length of staple but 
not for excessive weight, and yet hogget fleec s exceed 14 pounds. Some- 
times, however, a good average clip of a ewe is about 9 pounds. This wool 
gi'ades from medium to coarse, the bulk being coarse combing, quoted on 
the Boston market to-day at 25 cents per pound, 3 cents higher than Ohio 



14 

fine unwashed and 3 cents lower than |. This coarse combing wool 
has been somewhat draggy in our wool markets for some months, and even 
at 25 cents has been slow to move. The bulk of this |-blood comes from 
Kentucky, Indiana, IMissouri, Illinois, and Maine ; and most of it has 
been bought at so high a figure that, with the market at its present status, 
it cannot be sold at a good profit. Shearlings shear, not infrequently, 15 and 
16 pounds ; and phenomenal fleeces of older rams have weighed 21^ pounds. 
Cotswold flocks, ewes, and rams, average generally from 10 to 11 pounds. 

The weight of Cotswolds at one year old generally ranges from 140 to 
150 pounds, and lambs dropped in February and coupled will generally 
drop a lamb the next year in May. But, of course, such early breeding is 
hardly to be recommended, as it seriously interferes with proper develop- 
ment. The fleeces of this breed are inclined to be quite open, while some 
have coarser fibres than others. The open fleece is considered an objection 
by some, as it is held that during storms they become more thoroughly wet 
than closer-fleeced breeds. 

If one will take the trouble to experiment with the Cotswold, they will 
find them an excellent breed for crossing on common or grade sheep. Pos- 
sessed of stout, straight legs and other excellent points, the first cross pro- 
duces valuable results, hardly to be obtained so early from using other 
breeds. Standing well up on their feet, they are less liable to foot-rot than 
almost any other sheep, and, being active, are well adapted to procure a 
living where some of the other English breeds would not subsist. The 
ewes are particularly prolific, many of them producing twins. The lambs 
are always active, hardy ; and the ewes are good mothers. 

An objectionable point in a Cotswold is a bare head. The head should 
be well woolled on the cheeks up to the eyes and partially around them. 
The nose should be straight, or nearly so, and the head minus horns. The 
well-bred Cotswold should stand straight on all four of his legs. The coun- 
tenance should be intelligent and well proportioned. The brisket should be 
prominent, and the hind quarters square, broad, and full. The ribs should 
be well sprung, the flanks deep, and the legs clean with lieavy bone, free 
from wool and of medium length. The ear should have the feeling of vel- 
vet, and should be thick. The eye should be large, transparent, with the 
white of the eye of a purplish color. 

In managing the Cotswold, the exercise of care and attention pay^, just 
as in the breeding of any other sheep. Although able to withstand many 
hardships, if they can be protected from them so much the better, thus 
absolving the shepherd from cruelty to his flock and increasing his profits 
from it very materially. The influence of cold is a waste to the body, and 
consequently more food is necessary, warmth being often a substitute for 
food. Besides this the fleeces will be sounder, healthier, and better grown 
in every way. In summer they should be protected from scorching suns, 
and in spring and autumn from cold rains. Such care bestowed on them 
or any other sheep will be time profitably employed. 

As the taste for well-fattened mutton continues to grow among the 
great American meat-eating public, so the popularity of the Cotswold will 
continue to widen; for with its many superior qualities as a mutton sheep 
it is bound to be esteemed wherever bred. Straightuess of back, breadth of 
loins, and roundness of frame are points of excellence which cannot fail to 
be recognized, and cause it to hold the position it has retained so long, — 
that of one of the best of the English mutton breeds, and one that has 
borne a prominent part in the improvement of more than one of our popu- 
lar English breeds. 

OTHER LONG-WOOLLED BREEDS. 

With the brief space at our disposal in the present pamphlet, we need 
merely allude to the other long-woolled breeds of sheep after our very full 
description of the Cotswold. In England the Leicester blood is very prev- 



16 

alent among all the long-wooUed sheep. The Lincoln was formerly charac- 
terized by a gaunt carcass and coarse and entangled wool. The Romney 
Marsh, of -which little is known in this country, had a rough form, long legs, 
and irregular and coarse wool. All of these characteristics, however, have 
been modified by breeding ; and all the improved varieties of long-woolled 
sheep have become so similar in their characteristics that the Virginia 
farmer will find that the Cotswold answers his purpose as well as any other. 
In England a good deal of attention is being devoted to the New Leicester, 
a variety of long-woolled sheep in which breeders have obtained great per- 
fection of carcass with some sacrifice of wool. The reason for this is that 
the English farmers who have reared this class of sheep have preferred to 
lose two or three pounds of wool for tlie sake of gaining ten or twelve 
pounds of mutton. With them tlie first object is the value of the carcass, 
and the fleece is always a secondary consideration. 



CHAPTER VIL 

THE HAMPSHIRE DOWN: SOME FACTS ABOUT THIS WELL-KNOWN BREED 
FROM A PRACTICAL SHEEPMAN. 

Framingham, Mass., May 10, 1891. 
Editor of the American Wool Reporter: 

Dear Sit; — In reply to your request, I send you photographs of thirteen 
Hampshire rams and six ewes ju.st imported. Eleven of the rams are year- 
lings and two are two-year-olds, weighing 238^ and 332 pounds respectively 
and shearing 12 and 9^ pounds of wool, which is first-class combing wool, 
worth in present market about tliirty-two cents. 

The ewes are all yearlings, weighing 191 pounds and shearing 14^ 
pounds. While the Southdown breed of sheep has probably done more 
toward improving other breeds than all the others, experience seems to 
prove that the larger breeds of Downs, such as Oxford, Shropshire, and 
Hampshire, must necessarily help the sheep-breeding industry still more 
for the following reasons: — 

All of these larger Down breeds have the same early maturity tendency, 
more or less, of the Southdown, with a much larger carcass and a much 
heavier fleece. 

The Hampshire is better than the Oxford, because its fleece is much 
closer and withstands our storms much better. The one thing a sheep can- 
not stand is getting its skin wet, which always happens in loose-woolled 
sheep. 

The Hampshire makes a stronger cross on our grade ewes than either of 
the other breeds, perhaps owing to its breeding, which is tlie result of intel- 
ligent breeding by the working (not fancy) farmers of Hampshire, Berk- 
shire, and Wilkshire, by the farther infusion of selected Southdown blood 
with very black faces on the best of their native sheep, which had for many 
years more or less Southdown blood bred into them. 

I talce the following description of the Hampshire from the preface 
to the Hainpshire Down Flock Record, established 1890, written by its presi- 
dent, James Wood, Esq., of Mt. Kisco, N.Y. : — 

" His head is ratlier large, with a Roman face ; neck long and usually 
well set on ; shoulders sloping ; brisket deep, with abundant room for the 
vital organs ; back straight, with a spring of rib going around the barrel ; 
loin broad ; quarters long and broad ; hams round and he^avy ; legs bony 
and strong ; and feet large and open, with a tough sole and crust. 

" The face and legs are the blackest of any of the Down breeds. Gray 
faces are avoided. The wool is of medium length and strong fibre. It is 



18 

used for making cheviots, tweeds, and such business cloths, and commands 
the top prices. Flocks of breeding ewes average about seven pounds to the 
fleece. Mature rams weigh three hundred pounds, and ewes something over 
two hundred." 

Sheep husbandry cannot be carried on solely for wool, as was the case 
a few years ago with great profit, because the pi'ice of wool has decreased so 
much; but, with the larger breeds which mature their lambs at fifty days 
old, dressing twenty-five pounds and clipping enough wool to nearly pay 
their keep for a year, no branch of agriculture offers such a profitable 
investment, provided the farmer going into it knows about the care of 
sheep, or is willing to begin slowly and learn his lessons by experience on a 
small scale without great expense. 

The above refers to early lambs, to be killed before May. The winter 
lamb business requires more knowledge and experience than the commoner 
way of having lambs dropped in the spring after sheep are turned out. 

Working on this plan, a large part of the crop of lambs can be sold 
during July and August for about five doUai's apiece, in almost any local 
market. 

Those not old enough to go then can be fed through the winter, taking 
off a clip of about six pounds of wool in early spring, which pays for 
their winter's keep. 

With the present demand for yearling mutton, any of these larger 
Down sheep give a carcass heavy enough to bring in five dollars for each 
lamb so treated. 

I cannot impress too strongly the fact that the rams used must be pure 
bred and of the best quality. 

A ram must be as good for raising market lambs as for raising pure 
bred lambs for breeders. 

The difference in value between a lamb sired by the best ram and an 
inferior one is at least a dollar a lamb. 

These rams in the picture were imported for the purpose of raising 
market lambs from about nine hundred grade ewes. 

Yours very truly, 

E- F. BOWDITCH. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE BLACK-FACED SCOTCH HIGHLAND. 

It is not because this almost unknown breed of sheep in America is par- 
ticularly adapted to Virgiuia that occasion is taken to illustrate it or 
describe its salient features in this volume, but because it is interesting to 
note the extremes in breeding. For a similar purpose is presented a cut of 
the Infantado ewe on page 3. 

The Black-faced Scotch is called in its native place " Heather Sheep," 
and is a very peculiar breed, habiting the lofty but barren and heathy hills 
which extend from Derbyshire, England, to the confines of Scotland, through 
the counties of Cumberland, Lancashire, Westmoreland, and Yorkshire. 

This breed possesses characteristics which distinguish it from any other 
in the British Isles. It is smaller with respect to the weight at which it 
arrives, but it is larger and more robust than the ancient soft-woolled sheep 
which it displaced. The rams and ewes have horns very large and spirally 
twisted, but sometimes disappearing in the ewes. The legs are lengthy and 
muscular, and the general form is rolnist. The face and legs are black, and 
there is a general tendency to this color in the fleece. These sheep are very 
hardy and capable of subsisting' on the coarsest heaths, and would be a val- 
uable breed for extei'minating brush, etc. 

The mutton has a venison flavor, and is preferred to every other by those 



20 

■who have used it. A great defect of this breed, however, is the character of 
the fleece, which, besides being thin on the body, yields wool only fit for 
carpets and coarser stuffs. They do not really amalgamate, or cross, with 
other breeds. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE SHROPSHIRE. — A BRIEF REVIEW OF ITS PAST HISTORY AND A CON- 
SIDERATION OF ITS SALIENT FEATURES. 

Among the majority of the sheep-breeders of Virginia and the United 
States who look to wool and mutton as the piincipal source from which 
they are to derive a revenue, the most popular breed of sheep is the Shrop- 
shire. It is held in high estimation alike in England, Scotland, Ireland, 
and Wales. In fact, it is the most popular breed in all the United King- 
dom at the present moment. It has stood the test among the farmers of 
the United States for the past seven years, and its popularity shows no signs 
of abating. 

Really, our farmers have never betore experimented with an English 
breed which has taken more kindly to its new home or brouglit into their 
hands such large sums of money for mutton and wool. Probably no one has 
made money any faster from sheep in a legitimate way the past two years, 
than those farmers' who have given their attention to the production of 
early lambs, and for this purpose used the coimnon grade merino ewe with 
a Sliropshire ram. There is nothing more salable to-day for mutton 
purposes. 

Some one has said, " The early history of the Shropshire, like that of 
our trotting horses, may be put down as untraced." The Shropshire is 
clearly composite, or mixed, in its origin ; and ir is only of comparatively 
recent date that it has received recognition as a distinct breed. To-day we 
have the American Shropshire Registry Association, which boasts of more 
recorded sheep, more active members, and more assets than all the present 
sheep organizations of the United States, Canada, and England combined. 
So much for the great popularity they have won. What better evidence 
could be offered ? 

The Shropshire Association have, they boast, 23,000 recorded sheep 
and neai'ly 600 members, thus showing that they have I'egistered an average 
of about 3,800 sheep per annum since their organization. 

In their histories of various breeds of British sheep neither Low nor 
Youatt mentions the Shropshire as it exists to-day. In fact, it was only at 
the Gloucester show of the Royal Agricultural Society in 1853 that it ob- 
tained classes. Then afterward it was again dropped out of the prize sched- 
ule; but, m response to the powerful representations of breeders, the Na- 
tional Society formally and permanently accorded it a separate class. 

The Shropshire of to-day is the product of cross-breeding the sheep of that 
shire, or couniy, with the oldest improved breeds, the Southdown and the 
Leicester. Tlie union of these improved breeds resulted, as it always does, 
in the formation of a new breed, partaking of the characteristics of each ; 
and the new type was then retained and intensified by judicious inbreeding. 
Thus the Shropshire has the size of the Leicester, the form of the South- 
down, and the fleece is a combination of both, slightly coarser than that of 
the Southdown and shorter than the Leicester. The fleece also carries more 
oil than the Southdown. 

The face of the " Shrop " is much larger than that of the Southdown, 
and also somewhat longer; forehead broad, prominent, and slightly arched; 
ears larger than the Southdown. The color of the face is a softened black, 
and occasionally a very dark gray, or inclining to gray, on tiie jaw. The fore- 
head is well covered with wool. The legs are darker than the face, and set 



22 

wide apart ; neck strong, broad and deep at the shoulders, tapering sym- 
metrically to the head ; shoulders fiat, back short, ribs well sprung, hips 
wide, with long hind quarters and full haunch. They carry fleeces of 
closer-set fine wool, longer in staple than that of the Southdowns. In good 
flocks the wool averages 6 to 8 jiounds per fleece, hoggets clipping up to 12 
or 14 pounds. Shropshire shearlings commonly weigh 20 pounds or more 
per quarter, and two shears are fed up to 40 pounds or more per quarter. 

The Shropshire is generally placed slightly below the Hampshire in size; 
but the past five years have witnessed a considerable improvement in this 
respect, and it is doubtful if any real difference now exists. It is smaller 
than the Oxford, which it resembles less than it does the Hampshire. 

The flesh of the " Shrop " is white, dense, and covering not only its 
body, but coming well down on the legs. Its mutton is regarded as second 
only to the Southdown, and the extra size of the quarters makes it a most 
attractive animal for the butcher. 

They are exceedingly prolific, at least one-half of the ewes dropping 
twins ; and they suckle better than any sheep of larger breed. They are 
hardy, and particularly adapted for enduring a wet climate. Rams of the 
Shropshire breed are mucli used for crossing infei-ior classes of sheep, 
cliiefly for the purpose of rearing lambs for the butcher; and the sheep- 
breeder of Virginia will find no ram which will answer his purpose better 
on the native mountain sheep which he handles than the Shropshire. 

Mr. Mansell, of Shrewsbury, Shi-opshire, Eng., who is high authority, 
describes a model ram as follows : 'Well-developed head (not coarse), well 
covered, no horns, with clean and s'riking expression of countenance; a 
prominent eye ; a body deep and symmetrical, placed squarely as possible on 
short legs; good leg of mutton ; straight spine ; deep, weJl-sprung ribs ; mas- 
sive chest; a muscular neck, well set on good shoulders ; nice style and car- 
riage ; no inclination to pull or drop wool around jaws or belly ; nice cherry 
skin; face and legs a nice soft black, not sooty nor a rusty brown ; no white 
specks ; ears thin and blood-like, not heavy and drooping ; moderate bone ; 
wool of the finest staple and as close and merino-like as possible, with no 
admixture of gray." To prevent deterioration, it is very essential to insist 
on conformity to the established features of the breed. 

In regard to the size of the different breeds mentioned, we find the 
following interesting figures in a report of the average weight of carcasses 
of each breed for a whole year at Mark Lane, one of the great English 
markets : — 

Lambs under 

One Year. 

lbs. 

Leicester 144 

Cotswold 102 

Lincoln 176 

Hampshire 193 

Shropshire 197 

Southdown 1 42 

Oxford 177 

Elsewhere will be found some opinions of breeders in Virginia, which 
denote particular favor accorded the Shropshire. To get the most good out 
of them, however, they must be handled as nearly as possible under the 
conditions which are natural to them. They are hearty feeders because 
they are fast growers, and they must have comfortable quai'ters. 

The mutton breeds, it must be remembered, are the product of the very 
highest agriculture. They have been bred from early maturity to put on 
flesh rapidly; and, to do this, they must have the food necessary to grow it. 
One may unhesitatingly advise every farmer in Virginia to try the Shrop- 
shire. They will make them money. 



Wethers under 


Ewes over 


Two Years. 


Three Years. 


lbs. 


lbs. 


252 


290 


317 


283 


301 


383 


259 


266 


257 


235 


206 


203 


281 


274 



f«.. 






w 
a 

o 

M 
*^ 
O 

w 
o 




24 



CIIArTER X. 

Tin: OXKOUD: a BKP^ED which has succeeded well ox VIllGiiVXA 

FARMS 

One of tlie most meritorious of the British mutton breeds of sheep is 
the Oxford down, which, although generally classed as one of the middle 
wools, is properly rather more closely related to the long-wool family. ' 

The Oxford is generally recognized as the result of a cross between the 
Hampshire-down and Cotswold; but there is doubtless Southdown blood 
here, too, which assists to lend more of the Down characteristics. Some 
authorities liold that the Oxford is really the product of the Leicester, Cots- 
wold, and Southdown crossed together; but this theory is hardly substan- 
tiated, if we are to consider authentic the early statements of its breeders. 
Tlie Oxford is perhaps the largest framed of the Down breeds, and favors in 
form and fleece the Cotswold. The evident intention of its originators was 
to grow a sheep which would furnish the largest carcass of meat possible 
and possessing a quality as good as that of any of the Down breeds, the 
fleece being a consideration of secondary importance. 

Wherever inti-oduced in this country, the Oxford has won friends ; and 
they are challenging older rivals in the race for superiority and popular 
favor. Within the past few years more attention, too, is being paid to its 
fleece. The result has been a greater density and fineness of fibre than the 
breed possessed when fii'st brought into public notice. 

It will perhaps be remembered that almost their first introduction into 
tjiis country occurred in 1876, when a few specimens were shown at the 
Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, where they attracted considerable 
notice. At English shows the Oxford has been recognized as a separate 
breed since 1862. ««• 

The distinguishing characteristics of the Oxford are size, hardiness, and 
early maturity, — three most important features. It is also possessed of 
short limbs, is of square build, with a gray or brown face. The nose has 
a gray or white spot on the end. The legs are a dark brown, smoky color. 
The fleece is longer, still not as dense as is that of the Shropshire, neither 
is it as fine. Cotswold blood is plainly detected iu the wool from the 
waviness running all through it. 



CHAPTER XT. 

THE shepherd DOG. 

Perhaps a book about sheep would not be complete without a few 
words concerning the shepherd's friend, the collie, whose picture we present 
herewith. 

A very excellent work upon " The Practical Training of the Shepherd 
Dog" has just been published by W. A. W'ickham, of Tipton, Iowa, and can 
be obtained from him lor 50 cents. There are five different kinds of shep- 
herd dogs in the United States; namely, the Scotch collie, the German, 
Spanish, and jNIexican, and the bob-tailed English sheep dog. Of these the 
Scotch collie is regarded as the best, and is most known. Let us say right 
here, however, that it will be better for the Virginia farmer to keep no 
shepherd dog than to have one which is ill-bred or ill-trained. Throughout 
the North-west many mongrel collies are to be seen, — mainly a bull and 
collie cross. As a i-esult, an o'd sow or a grown hog has rarely a whole ear, 
the ears having been split and torn off by mongrel dogs. But the properly 
trained sheep dog is a great assistance to the flockmaster. 



25 

PROTECTION AGAINST WILD ANIMALS AND DOGS. 

Ill Texas and ^Mexico they have a way of training dogs with the sheep. 
The pups, when tirst whelped, or before their eyes are open, are taken from 
the da:ii and put to a sucking ewe, already deprived of her own lamb. For 
several days the ewe is confined with the pups in the shepherd's hut ; and, 
eitliir from force or an instinctive desire to be relieved of the contents of 
the udder, she soon allows the little strangers to suck, and in the course of 
a few davs more becomes quite reconciled to the change and exhibits a 
great degree of affection for her foster children, M'ho, knowing no other par- 
entage, become thus early engrafted into the general community, and return 
their early kindness by eveiy mark of affection and fidelity hereafter, never 
being willing for a moment to quit their society, but remain with them 




THE SHEPHERD DOG. 

night and day, expressing a j^eculiar attachment to this particular flock, and 
seeming able to distinguish each member of it from all other intruders. 
The collie will also bring the sheep home in the evening, if you feed him 
regularly at the hour you wish the flock home. The South American shep- 
herd's dog becomes accustomed, when a puppy, to its future companions. 
Taken when very young from its mother, it is held three or four times a 
day to a ewe. A nest of wool is made for it in the sheep-pen, and no dog 
or children allowed to come near. 

In the great north-western section of the United States bells are quite 
generally used upon the sheep as a protection again-t dogs and even wild 
animals. There is also a large and growing class of breeders in the Eastern 
States who place great weight upon the protective power of sheep bells. 
They show by their constant use of these little '.' alarmers " their faith in the 



26 

idea that they actually drive away dogs. Some flockmasters put a bell oh 
every fifth sheep. 

If a few dry cows or heifers are kept in the field with sheep, the dogs 
will seldom molest them. Sheep have been found in the morning huddling 
so close around and under a friendly old cow that she could not get away 
from them ; she had saved their lives. 



CHAPTER XII. 

PASTORAL VIRGINIA : ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, AND ADAPTABILITY TO ShiSEP 

HUSBANDRY. 

In the course of a recent trip over the line of the Norfolk & Western 
Railroad in company with President Harrison and party, Secretary of 
Agriculture Rusk was furnished with a revelation in viewing the fertile 
hills and valleys of Western and Southern Virginia. The question occurred 
to him at once, Is this not one of the most magnificent regions in the world 
for sheep-raising ? 

As he noted the character of the soil, the richness of the splendid past- 
ures, and the evident thrift of the few flocks of Cotswolds, Southdowns, and 
native sheep grazing on the hillsides, he became convinced of the absolute 
correctness of his opinion ; and his exclamation was, " Every farmer in 
South-west Virginia ought to grow rich from raising sheep and wool." 

In his opinions Secretary Rusk was quite correct. No visitor to these 
valleys of Virginia, through which the great Norfolk & Western system 
passes, who will take pains to investigate the natural resources and condi- 
tions of the country, can fail to arrive at any other conclusion. It is pre- 
eminently a pastoral region, the natural home of the sheep. 

The extent of this territory is large, its opportunities infinite. The 
northern terminus of the Shenandoah Division of the Norfolk & Western 
Railroad is at Hagerstown, Md., the southern at Roanoke, Va. Here 
intervenes a distance of 239 miles of some of the finest sheep country in the 
United States. The southern terminus of the Norfolk & Western Railroad 
is at Bristol, Tenn. Between Roanoke and Bristol we have a stretch of 
country 151 miles in extent. At Radford, about midway between Bristol 
and Roanoke, the New River Division leaves the main line, extending to 
Norton, Va., a distance of about 16'' miles. Between Roanoke and Bristol 
and between Radford and Norton lies some of the finest sheep country in 
the world, — thousands of acres of cheap, elevated lands, covered with nutri- 
tious and fattening "blue grass," such as has made Kentucky mutton 
famous the world over. 

While the sheep is tolerably cosmopolitan in its adaptability to climate, 
yet it is very susceptible to influences of soil and water. Hilly or rolling 
lands, provided with quick drainage, pure, flowing water, and sv eet grass, 
are best adapted to successful sheep husbandry in any of its brarches. The 
hills and valleys of Vii-ginia meet all these requirements, leaving little to 
be desired by the sheep-breeder, whether his aim be to grow wool or mutton. 
The eastern division of the Norfolk & Western Railroad, extending from 
Roanoke to Norfolk, covers a distance of 257 miles and a country well 
suited to sheep. In fact, it would be difficult to find in all Virginia a spot 
where sheep and wool could not be successfully grown. 

The section of which particular mention is made — the valleys and hilly 
portion of West and South-west Virginia — is strictly a limestone country, 
mo e than 300 miles in length and with an area of nearly 6,000 square 
miles. To those who have travelled or resided in the States of Vermont 
and \ew flampshire a striking similarity between Virginia and this portion 
of New England is remarked. Vermont and her sister commonwealth are 
noted for their fine Spanish merinos and prime Cotswolds and Southdowns. 
Wly should not Virginia possess equally as wide a reputation for her 
flocks? It only remains with the farmers to earn a credit even more 



27 

renowned. The natural advantages at hand are far superior to those of 
New England. All that is necessary is to improve them. 

The prevailing soil of pastoral Virginia is a limestone or a stiff, clayey- 
loam, durable and fertile and well adapted to grass and grain. Being rich 
and warm and enjoying sunny exposures, it is a land particularly inviting 
to the sheep-breeder. Throughout this great area of mountainous country, 
the hills, rising to considerable heights, are wooded in most instances, still 
tillable to their summits. To the stranger it is a very remarkable sight to 
see the green pastures and the cultivated fields on these high points. An- 
other remarkable fact, too, is that just as soon as the timber is cleared 
away the blue grass immediately appears, furnishing excellent pasture in less 
than twelve months. Between all these hills course those rivulets and 
rills of pure, sparkling water from which sheep, one of the most particular 
of domestic animals, delight to drink. 

As to climate, there is scarcely any more equable than Virginia's. The 
mean average temperature of the State being 56° and that of the rich valley 
regions 54°, the extremes of heat and cold are not great, and stock conse- 
quently rarely suffer from exposure. A prominent sheep-breeder at Pulaski, 
Va., who has kept a record of temperature for a series of years, reports the 
mercury at that point has not fallen 12° below zero, and that there are not 
ten days in the year when it will range as low as 10° above zero. The 
summer heat, he finds, seldom ranges above 90°, and the nights are always 
cool. This statement would apply almost equally well to all of Western 
and South-western Virginia, and, in fact, to the State in its entirety. With 
such climatic conditions — a high, dry land, clear, pure atmosphere, and 
freedom from dampness — sheep are always healthy, foot-rot and other 
affections are of rai'e occurrence, and losses in the flock from any disease 
are seldom suffered. 

The State of Virginia has, according to the report of the Department of 
Agriculture, about 450,000 sheep. Now these sheep are, all of them, 
allowed to run out in the fields the year round. The sheep-bi-eeder of 
Virginia need not to shelter his flock save during some severe storm or 
occasionally for a day during the winter season when the snow may hinder 
their grazing. Feed is quite sufficient the year round to supply their or- 
dinary wants and keep them always in good flesh. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

HOW TO START A FLOCK IN VIRGINIA. — PROFITS FROM WOOL. 

To those who may be anticipating starting a flock of sheep in Virginia, 
a word of advice will perhaps be acceptable. 

Many farmers would hardly care to commence by purchasing a flock of 
registered ewes from Northern flocks, because the cost would be too great, 
unless they proposed to establish a breeding farm on which to raise choice 
rams for the trade; i.e., for the improvement of stock, which no doubt could 
be pursued with profit. And so, unless he preferred to secure a few choice 
ewes served to ram, which would be preferable, his next best plan would be 
to go back into the mountainous sections of West Virginia, North Carolina, 
or Tennessee, considerably removed from railroads, and purchase a flock of 
native sheep, which can be had at from 'f3 to $4 per head, drive them 
to his farm, and, when the breeding season is at hand, serve them to a pure 
bred ram of whatever breed suits his fancy, whether Cotswold, Shropshire, 
Southdown, Oxford, or any of the other J]nglish breeds. The rams can be 
had at from SI 5 to $30 each. Thus the farmer could commence a flock 
which will involve but a comparatively small outlay. 

The policy of the sheepmen, as a general rule, in Virginia, has been to 
change their sheep nearly as often as every two years, selling out entirely, 



28 

and then commencing anew. Of course, those who have done this are only 
the farmers who iiave bred the native sheep to improved rams ; for a farmer 
having a good flock of pure bred animals could not afford to part with them. 
It is the belief among the breeders that this is necessary, in order that the 
flock continue healthy. 

AVhc-n sheep are kept in the same pasture for a considerable time, they 
are quite apt to evince distaslefulness toward the feed, and a change is 
])eneflcial; but, if the farmer has a number of pastures and not too large a 
flock, it will hardly be necessary to change so often, and, if a little science 
is exercised in care, not at all. The number of sheep kept to the acre should 
not exceed one, unl'^ss clovers or other artificial grasses are grown. 

Ifc has also been the plan of a number of breeders, or, what is a more 
proper term, speculatois, to realize three profits from handling sheep yearly, 
first by buying a party of grade ewes in the fall, shearing and selling their 
wool in ]\lay, the lambs from them in June and July, and finally the origi- 
nal purchase, fattened, in October for mutton. This plan, however, tends 
to make sheep more scarce, when it is an increase of flocks that is so much 
needed in Virginia. 

Shearing should occur between April 15 and May 15, even earlier than 
the former date, if quarters are provided in which shelter can be had if a 
cold day should occur. Farmers who have kept sheep in Virginia are, 
many of them, of the opinion that, even if kept for wool alone, sheep would 
pay; and there is little doubt that they will when the benefit they are to 
the farm is considered. 

Sheep are the safest and best general stock for the farmer to handle, and 
their manure is the very best of fertilizer. If you get hard pressed, you can 
sort out a few or enough to meet your present demands, and they will almost 
always meet with a ready sale. Sheep are the best kind of stock to clean 
out briery or bushy fields. They will eat almost anything of a weedy 
nature. For the fields' sake it pays to keep sheep. 

Wool in Virginia for the past few years, averaging about 25 cents un- 
washed, has most of it been taken by local buyers for Philadelphia, Boston, 
and Baltimore markets. It is a favorite staple with worsted spinners, 
bein? strong and well grown. , 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE DOG NUISANCE. — THAT WORTHLESS CUR. 

So long as love for the worthless cur holds sway in the home of the 
Virginia farmer, so long must the cause of the meek and lowly sheep be 
held iu subjection, and continue to languish. 

Sheep-breeding and wool-growing is an industry which the farming 
classes of Virginia can pursue with profit. They should seek to diversify 
the products of their farms, and thus have something that will always sell 
for good prices. There aie some classes of jjroducts tha' are enormously 
high in the markets of the State, others that are sold by the farmers at low 
prices, among them being beef cattle. Mutton, however, cmmands a very 
fair price, and is steadily growing in favor daily. There is plenty of land 
in Virginia that is adapted to sheep-raising, and some that is not .^uited for 
much else; but, as long as the dogs are allowed to outnumber the sheep, 
these extensive tracts cannot be properly utilized. Now, this seems a very 
unthrifty condi I ion of affairs, and certainly suggests that the farmers care 
little whether they make farming a financial success or not. 

Not many years ago the legislature of Tennessee passed a law taxing 
dogs, the object of the measure b^'ing to reduce their number, and thus 
make sheep husbandry possible. Note with what spirit this movement was 
received. If a law had been framed and passed to slay the first-born in 



29 

every family in Tennessee, it could hardly have met vpith more general hos- 
tility or more noiwy demonstration. Nothing could have been more un- 
popular. It proved the political death-knell of every member of the legis- 
lature who supported it, and those who were elected to the succeeding 
session went thei'e with pledges to repeal it. The law was repealed ; and 
dog-raising rather than sheep-raising is given precedence to-day. Now, in 
a greater or less degree, this same condition of affairs exists in Virginia and 
in other Southern States. 

Worthless dogs are the curse of the entire South ; and, so long as they 
are tolerated, wool-growing and sheep-raising must remain crippled. With 
the enactment of proper laws, however, she may hope to become a wool- 
growing section of much prominence, thus producing the bulk of tlie raw 
materials entering into the manufacture of textile fabrics. 

Following is the law relatiijg to dogs in Massachusetts. Let there be a 
similar one enacted in Virginia. The majority of ravages among sheep 
are perpetrated by the mongrel species which have no excuse for living, and 
are the property of people who cannot afford to keep dogs. 

MA.SSACHUSETTS DOG LAWS. 
Chapter 102. 

Sect. 94. Any person may kill a dog that suddenly assaults him when he is peacefully 
walking or riding without the enclosure of its owner or keeper ; and any per- 
son may kill a dog that is found out of the enclosure or immediate care of its 
owner or keeper, worrying, wounding, or killing neat cattle, sheep, or lambs. 

Sect. 95. If a person so assaulted, or finding a dog strolling out of the enclosure or 
iiumediate care of its owner or keeper, within forty-eight Imurs of such 
assault or finding, makes oath thereof before a justice of the peace or police 
court for the county, or before the clerk of the city or town where the owner 
of the dog dwells, and further swears that he suspects the d g to \)e danger- 
ous or mischievous, and gives notice thereof to its owner or keeper, by 
delivering to him a certificate of such oath, signed by such justice or clerk, 
the owner or keeper shall forthwith kill or confine such a dog; and, if he 
neglects so to do for twenty-four hours after such notice, he shall forfeit ten 
dollars. 

Sect. 96. A person owning or keeping a licensed dog who has received such notice, and 
does not kill the dog or keep it thereafter from ever going at large, shall for- 
feit ten dollars, if it is proved that the dog is mischievous or dangerous ; and 
any person may kill the dog if ii is again found strolling out of the enclosure 
or immediate care of its owner or keeiicr. 

Sect. D7. If a dog, after such notice to its owner or keeper, by such assault wounds or 
causes lo be wounded any person, or worries, wounds, or ki is any neat cattle, 
sheep, or lambs, or does any other mischief, the owner or keeper shall be 
liable to pay the person injured thereby treble damage, to be recovered in an 
action of twrt. 

Sect. 98. Whoever suffers loss by the worrying, maiming, or killing of his sheep, 
lambs, fowls, or other domestic animals by do^.s, may inform the mayor of 
the city or the chairman of the selectmen of the town wherein the damage 
was done, and determine whether the same was inflicted by dogs, and, if so, 
appraise the amount thereof not exceeding twenty dollars. If, in the opinion 
of said mayor or chairman, the amount of said damage exceeds twenty dol- 
lars, he shall appoint two disinterested persons, who, with himself, shall 
appraise the amount thereof ; and, in either case, he shall return a certificate 
of the same, except in the r'ounty of Suffolk, on or before the first day of 
December, to the county commissioners, who during the month of December 
shall examine all such bills, and if any doubt exists, may summon the ap- 
praisers of all parties interested, and make such examination a they think 
proper, and shall issue an order upon the treasurer of the county in which the 
damage was done, for all or any part thereof, as justice and equity may 
require. 

The treasurer shall annually, on the first Wednesday of January, pay all 
such orders in full, if the gross amount received by him for dog licenses, and 
not previously paid out under the provisions of this chapter relating to dogs, 
is sufficient therefor. Otherwise, he shall pay such amount pro rata upon 
such orders, in full discharge thereof. 

The appraisers shall receive from the county or in the county of Suffolk 
from the city or town treasurer, out of the moneys received under the pro- 
visions of this chajjter relating to dogs, one dollar each for every such exam- 
ination made by them ; and the Mayor or the chairman of the selectmen 
acting in the case shall receive twenty cents per mile one way for his neces- 
sary travel. 

Sect. 106. Every owner or kee])er of a dog engaged in doing damage to sheep, lambs, or 
other domestic animals, shall be liable to an actiim of tore to the county for 
all damages so (lone, which the County Commissioners thereof have ordered 
to be paid, as provided in this chapter. The treasurer of the county may, and, 



30 

if so ordered by the County Commissioners, shall bring such action. In Suf- 
folk County such owner or keeper shall be liable in like manner to the city or 
town for damages so done therein wliich the Board of Aldermen or Selectmen 
respectfully live so ordered to be paid; and the treasurer of such city or 
town may, and, if so ordered by the Board of Aldermen or Selectmen, shall 
bring such action. 

The laws of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermout, and of the remaining New 
England States, are almost equally as stringent, as are also thos" of Ohio and many 
other wool-growing States of the East. 



CHAPTER XV. 

DISEASES OF SHEEP. 

* 

The two diseases to which sheep are most liable are " foot-rot " and 
"scab." The latter has existed from time immemorial, and injures both 
the wool and meat of tlie animal. It may originate from lack of care, 
insufficient food, or exposure to cold and wet. The prevailing cause of scab, 
however, is contagion ; and, while it may be easily prevented or cured by 
"dipping" in a solution of tobacco or other preparation, of which there 
are many excellent ones in the market, it is a dangerous disease when not 
properly treated. The prevailing practice among owners of large bands of 
sheep in the United States is to dip them immediately after shearing. 
Scab is a disease of the inner skin of the animal. The famous firm of 
William Cooper & Nephews, whose American offices are at Galveston, Tex., 
and 5 South Franklin Street, New York, employ upwards of 200 men at 
their English factory in the manufacture of the sheep dip with which three 
generations of Coopers liave been identified. This dip improves the qual- 
ity of the wool as well as curing the scab. 

Foot-rot, as its name implies, is confined mainly to the feet, and is gen- 
erally the consequence of a soft and marshy pasture. The sheep abhors 
moisture, both overhead and underfoot, and its feet are constructed for 
rough ground. The foot is composed of two digits, or toes, each shod with 
a hoof composed of the crust, or wall, and the sole. The crust, being 
harder and tougher than the sole, is mainly intended to resist the wear and 
tear to which the foot of the animal is exposed. Any situation, like soft 
and marshy ground, which has a tendency to increase tlie growth of the 
hoofs without wearing them away, causes the crust to grow until it laps 
over the sole, like the loose sole of an old shoe, and serves to retain and 
accumulate earth and filth, or is broken oft' in detached parts. In this 
way, the quick may be exposed and new pores opened, into which particles 
of earth or sand force their way, until an inflammation is started which 
alters or destroys the whole foot. The ulceration of foot-rot is followed by 
maggots, and eventually by constitutional disturbance which may cause the 
death of the animal. 

This disease, however, is also easily managed by paring away the de- 
tached portions of horn and thoroughly washing the foot in chloride of 
lime, dissolved in the proportion of one pound of the powder to a gallon of 
water. ^There is a difference of opinion among authorities as to whether 
foot-rot is infectious or not, but it is safest to prevent the sheep which has 
been attacked with the disease from rejoining its companions while there 
is the slightest discharge from any part of the foot. 

While the two diseases already named are those to which the mature 
sheep is most liable, the lamb is of course i-ubject to the usual proportion 
of diseases of infantile animal life. With proper care, however, sheep mul- 
tiply rapidly, and the increase in lambs may be made a greater source of 
revenue even than the wool. 



31 



CHAPTER XVI. 

SOME REASONS WHY WE SHOULD BREED SHEEP. 

Not unlike many other lines of agricultural pursuits, sheep-raising is to 
a certain extent experimental and speculative; yet there are so many things 
that can be said in favor of the occupation that it would appear reasonable 
that farmers, even if they have but a few acres of their own, should con- 
sider the feasibility of keeping at least a few sheep. 

Sheep-breeding, unlike dairying, is not so exhaustive of the soil, but, 
on the other hand, is almost a necessary adjunct in preserving the fertility 
of same. Moreover, the fact that sheep are the destroyers of weeds and 
briers that other stock will not touch should not be overlooked. It may 
rightly be said that "the sheep's foot is golden"; for it, in every in- 
stance, brings improvement, and not depletion, to the soil. The statement 
made by a reliable authority — although, perhaps, jjertaining more directly 
to the mutton breeds — that but two-thirds the amount of food is required, 
when consumed by sheep, to produce a given result, which is required 
by other domestic animals, is a strong factor in favor of our breeding sheep 
more extensively. There are many other points equally as strong. A 
method that promises to restore productiveness to the land, and in the 
mean time be productive of profit in other ways, should, on the worn-out 
farms of the Eastern States certainly not be overlooked. There ai'e but 
-few farm animals that produce more valuable manure than sheep. 

In considering the matter of soil exhaustion, Professor Stewart states 
that a fleece of five pounds of wool grown in a year requires only a daily 
growth of one-fifth ounce, and that the mineral matter taken from the 
soil by the fleece is but 1.6 onnce per year; and, if six half-mutton sheep 
represent a cow, the whole mineral constituents taken by the six fleeces 
would only be 9.6 ounces and about 1.9 pounds of nitrogen, while the ordi- 
nary cow, yielding 4,000 pounds of milk, would take 26 pounds of mineral 
matter, or ash, and 25 pounds of nitrogen, or forty-three times as much min- 
eral matter and thirteen times as much nitrogen as the sheep. However, 
this is, of cours^^, not considering all the elements of waste in feeding sheep, 
but is conclusive evidence that sheep husbandry, as compared with dairying, 
takes much less strength from the soil. 

Do not overlook the fact that the productiveness of your farm is largely 
involved in what you are doing. At times the price of wool may rule low, 
mutton may not be in demand, yet there is almost sure to be enough sales 
of each during any year to pay the expenses of a flock of sheep, without 
even considering the increased value they are sure to bring to farming 
lands. 

A good flock of sheep is the best helper, not only in filling the purse, 
but in keeping up the condition of the land without really any extra 
expense ; that is, within reach of the husbandman. One thing should there- 
fore be remembered by farmers who have suitable land at their command: 
that they make a very great mistake, and submit to annual loss of more 
importance than they imagine, in the absence of a good flock of improved 
sheep browsing upon their hills. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

HOW SHEEP PAY IN VIRGINIA. — SOME FACTS FROM THOSE WHO KNOW 

BY ACTUAL EXPERIENCE. — THE SHEEP BEST SUITED TO THE 

STATE. — SOME HINTS ABOUT CARE, ETC. 

There are many good reasons why every farmer in Virginia should keep 
sheep. Every man and woman who till the soil on which they i-eside 
should keep at least a few sheep. If a good account of expenses and sales 



82 

is kept, there will always, with the exercise of decent care, be a balance 
in favor of sheep-breeding, — not so much as a specialty, but as an assistant 
to other farm animals and crops. 

In the compilation of this volume on sheep and wool, a number of the 
leading sheep-breeders of Virginia were interviewed, with a view of ascer- 
taining actual results from keeping sheep in the " Old Dominion." Not 
one of them acknowledged having lost a dollar in sheep, but all were able 
to show on their books handsome profits; and all expressed enthusiasm 
over the prospects for growing mutton or wool in their State, and a desire 
to increase their flocks immediately. 

Colonel James Macgill, at Pulaski, Wythe County, has 130 pure bred 
Shropshires, bred from imported stock, which have thrived wonderfully on 
Virginia pastures. He considers this breed especially adapted to the 
State, particularly to farms where only small flocks are desired. Of course 
they do not, like Merinos, thrive so well in large flocks, neither do any of 
the English breeds. They are apparently designed by nature for a mod- 
erate area and for small flocks. So are the Oxford, the Southdown, Hamp- 
shires, etc. 

Another feature in breeding which Colonel Macgill reports is the remark- 
able prolificacy of his flock. This is noted everywhere, in fact, among all 
Virginia bred sheep. Colonel Macgill reports that from a flock of 38 ewes 
he raised 68 lambs, and that he also has 5 ewes which produced last year 
15 lambs. He estimates his increase per annum nearly 190 per cent. 

Mr. James B. Caddall, at Pulaski, also reports splendid success with his 
flock, and states that Shropshires, Southdowns, and Oxfords are certainly 
the breeds best adapted to Virginia. His success is shared in by such 
breeders as 1). P. Watson and James B. Painter, of Pulaski ; James H. 
McGravock, J. M. Crockett, and H. J. Mathews, of Max Meadows ; and 
the majority of other prominent breeders throughout the great valley of 
Virginia. 

As the raising of mutton lambs is the principal feature of the sheep in- 
dustry in Virginia, and must ever remain so, the sheep selected should be 
those best suited for early and rapid development, most easily fattened, and 
that will furnish the most marketable carcass. As a first class mutton 
sheep, the Southdown, Shropshire, and Oxford are without a peer, and can 
be strongly recommended to the farmers of Virginia. The other breed, of 
which mention is made, are also certain to do well if given proper handling. 

It is advisable that the Virginia breeder arrange to have his lambs 
dropped either in January or February, that they may be ready for the June 
and July market. The farmers now engaged in raising mutton for market 
report that they find it a very ea-^y matter to make their lambs, at five 
months of age, weigh 100 pounds, ar. "^ that, if they are ready for market in 
June or July, they rarely fail to realize five cents per pound, live weight, for 
thfir marketable stock. What farmer can ask for anything better than 
tliis? For the amount invested and the time given, what is there, after all, 
that pays better than growing mutton? The mutton of Virginia is of 
recognized superiority. Its market at present is principally New York and 
Philadelphia, where it commands the very "top" price, even exceeding the 
toothsome nmtton of Kentucky. So much for her rich blue-grass hills and 
valleys. Another advantage which the State possesses over Kentucky is its 
nearness to the great seaboard consuming centres. Still another may be 
discerned in what follows : — 

Virginia is at present experiencing a great industrial development, which 
is really only commenced. Already a large jiercentage of her population 
are engaged in her shops, foundries, mills, and mines; and the number is 
being steadily augmented. Who are to feed this great army of trades- 
people, these laborers, this great industrial population? Is it not best that 
tliH farmers of Virginia should "fill the bill "? Is it not best that a home 
market for farm products should be sought? Surely, here is one of the 
most promising openings for the growing of mutton ever afforded the 



33 

farmers of any State in the Union. L^t Virginia improve this opportunity. 
David's "few sheep in the mountains " paid his taxes and a good deal more. 
They were a wheel in his clock which he could not afford to take out. 
They are a farm animal which no farmer can afford to neglect, much less a 
Virginia agriculturist. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

SHEEP AT LAMBING TIME. — SOME HINTS ABOUT THE CARE OF 
YOUNG LAMBS. 

It is obvious to those having experience in handling sheep that during 
the lambing period it is far better to divide the ewes into as small flocks as 
possible, as they can be manipulated much better and their young will be 
less in danger of being trampled under foot. In a large flock, it frequently 
happens that young lambs are injured at feeding-time, when grain is given 
the ewes in the yard outside the paddock ; for, in their anxious scramble to 
reach their feed, they take no thought of their young, but ruthlessly rush 
forward, crowding the little ones hither and thither. 

Particular pains should be taken to provide plenty of pure running 
water for the ewes, and it is also advisable to supply them often with salt. 
We should deem it an absolute necessity to have everything quiet, wherever 
the sheep are at this period The shepherd should move carefully among 
his flock, lending assistance here and there, ministering to the weak ones 
and exercising care and strategy in handling the timid young ewes, who are 
disposed to ignore their first bom. Sheep are the most nervous and sensi- 
tive of farm animals. They quickly notice changes, and are easily disturbed 
by them. Therefore, great care should be taken to allow no dogs to come 
within sight or scent of the barns or pastures, or any unnecessary disturb- 
ance to occur. In handling sheep at lambing-time, one's patience and per- 
severance are sometimes severely taxed. However, in the end, he who 
exercises both will succeed. 

Among well-informed stock-breeders it is generally accepted as true 
that the feeding of roots, either carrots or beets or even potatoes,*o breeding 
ewes during the lambing season and until the new grass is plentiful pro- 
duces most beneficial results in the way of increasing the flow of milk. It 
is a good plan to commence the feeding of roots a month, at least, before 
lambing. In feeding them, sprinkle on a liberal supply of bran, or bran 
and meal, mixed in equal quantities. As well as roots, always feed the 
best of hay ; and feed regularly, three times each day, if your sheep are not 
out to pasture. 

In the North, where the sheep-breeder has warm and comfortable quar- 
ters for his stock, it is often advisable to shear the ewes before the lambs 
come, as, with the wool off, less trouble will be had in teaching the lamb to 
partake of its food; and the fear of their eating wool will also be avoided. 
Often young lambs stand for quite a length of time, and pull the wool from 
their mother and devour it with evident relish. However, we are unable to 
account for this unnatural craving ; but we do know that there has been 
many a lamb lost from this source. One thing which does young lambs 
more good than almost anything else is warm sunlight. Who can imagine 
a more pleasing sight in farm life than to see a flock of thrifty young lambs 
capering about the sheep pasture or yard on a bright, sunny day? Then, 
after their frolic, to see them all lie down together and enjoy a sun-bath. 

There is really a great deal of pleasure to be derived in handling and 
caring for sheep ; but to make this vocation, as well as any other, a success- 
ful one, the breeder must feel a pride and love for it, and keep his mind 
keyed up to that point, when the labor and attention it requires are accorded 
as a matter of pleasure, to secure for himself the stimulus of a generous and 
growing enthusiasm, and to elevate himself above the level of slipshod 
systems, which are the source o£ universal disappointment and failure. 



d^^ 



34 
CHAPTER XIX. 

PRIZES TO WOOL-GROWERS. 

The American Wool Reporter, the publishers of this pamphlet on 
sheep and wool, offer a list of prizes to wool-growers, which shall have the 
effect of stimulating improvement in some of the present methods of pro- 
duction and preparation of wool for market in the United States. Instead 
of offering premiums for the heavy fleeces which are so popular at country- 
fairs, and in which the dishonest use of linseed oil and lamp-black but add 
to an already existing excess of grease developed by theories of breeders 
which are contrary to the true interests of the wool industry, their prize for 
weight of fleece will be confined to scoured wool. In a similar manner 
they seek to discourage the use of sisal twine, and the growth of monstrosi- 
ties in length of fibre and in wools shown from the wrinkly merinos so 
much affected by many American breeders, but which are shown to be un- 
natural by the manner in which outraged nature develops coarse hairs ia 
the wrinkles, which would otherwise afford the poor animals even more dis- 
comfort than is inflicted upon them by the artificial modifications of the 
breeders. 

The Reporter's list of prizes will consist of a solid gold watch suita- 
bly inscribed for the best sack of wool in each of the following classes: — 

For the sack containing any number from 30 to 40 of the cleanest and 
most neatly packed fine washed fleeces, shorn by any American wool-grower 
east of the Mississippi River, during the season ending Aug. 1, 1891. 

For the sack containing 30 to 40 of the cleanest and best handled 
fleeces of unwashed wool grown west of the Mississippi River, during the 
season ending Aug. 1, 1891. In this class especial attention should be 
given to freedom from manure, tags, etc. 

For the sack containing 30 to 40 fleeces which shall average the largest 
yield of scoured wool, of not exceeding twelve months' growth, grown upon 
American merino sheep, during the season ending Aug; 1, 1891. 

For t^ie sack containing 30 to 40 fleeces of long-staple merino or fine 
delaine wool, of not exceeding twelve months' growth, which shall be 
decided to be the soundest, best grown, and most desirable, grown during 
the season ending Aug. 1, 1891. 

For the sack containing the most desirable 30 to 40 fleeces of No. 1, or 
half-blood wool, grown during the season ending Aug. 1, 1891. 

For the sack containing the most desirable 30 to 40 fleeces of Saxony 
merino wool, grown in the United States during the season ending Aug. 1, 
1891. 

The sacks of wool to be entered in competition for this list of prizes 
may be consigned directly to The American Wool Reporter, 19 Pearl 
Street, Boston, Mass., or they may be forwarded to that paper through the 
commission house which will afterward have the sale of them. If consigned 
directly to The Reporter, they may be transferred after the prizes are 
awarded to any wool merchants whom the shipper desires, or they will be 
sold for the account of the shipper. 

No wools will be received for competition after Aug. 1, 1891, and no 
fleeces will be entitled to competition at any time if tied with sisal twine, 
and in every case a minimum amount of twine must be used. Neither 
shall fleeces with locks or refuse of any description in them be allowed to 
compete, and bellies, etc., must be sent separate. The purposes for which 
these prizes are offered are such as is believed to be most useful to the 
American wool industry. They are designed not only to encourage the 
production of desirable wools, but also to encourage greater care in the prep- 
aration of both washed and unwashed wools for market. The Reporter is 
especially anxious that there should be good competition for the prize for 



35 

No. 1, or half-blood, wool, since it is very important that American growers 
should be encouraged to produce this class of wools more largely than at 
present. Not only do the sheep which grow these wools yield the very best 
mutton, but there is always a scai'city of No. 1 wool; and it is firm in price 
when other grades are weak. 

It is to be hoped, however, that there will be keen competition for all 
these prizes, and the successful competitors will not take any inore satisfac- 
tion in winning the testimonials which are offered than The Reportkr 
will in bestowing them. The judges who will award the prizes will include 
some of the most experienced sheep and wool men in the United States. 
Let Virginia sheep- breeders interest themselves in this competition. 



A WESTERN MAN TRIES SHEEP IN VIRGINIA. 

WHAT HE SAYS OF THE STATE. 

Albuquerque, N.M., May 5, 1891. 
Mr.'CnAS. G. Eddy, Vice-President N. & W. R.R., Roanoke, Va. : 

Dear Sir, — Your favor of the 24th reached me a few days ago, and in 
reply will say : The sheep enterprise in which I am interested is located in 
Halifax County, the nearest railroad point being " Lennig," on the Lynchburg 
& Durham Railroad, about forty miles south of Lynchburg. We have about 
1,800 acres of land there, and believe we have the foundation for a pros- 
perous business in the sheep line. We took 1,100 head of choice sheep 
from the West about December 1 last, and thus far have no reason to be- ■ 
lieve that they will not prove profitable. We have had quite a number of 
sheep die, I hear ; but it was due to our lack of preparation more than to 
any local cause. On the cheap lands of Virginia and the South in general 
there is no reason why sheep should not be grown as successfully and more 
profitably than on higher-priced lands in the West. Living, labor, and all 
items of expense are lower than in the West ; and, while feed and forage are 
naturally higher, the increased profit of being nearer market, we believe, 
overcomes this one item. The average winter period is short ; and, with 
reasonable care, sheep-raising can be made prosperous ayd of great benefit 
to the whole Southern country. Their value alone for fertilizing the worn- 
out lands of the old plantations is incalculable, and lands appreciate in value 
after several years' pasturing of sheep on them. 

AVe expect to ship in a few carloads this fall again, if nothing happens 
to prevent ; and, if we buy in Texas or South-western points, we can ship 
via your road with satisfaction to Lynchburg. If we felt that they could 
be handled successfully, we would not hesitate to ship several cars for sale, 
though the distance is long, and it would not be wise to do so without defi- 
nite contracts with parties East, and a cash deposit to guarantee us from 
loss. We would propose to ship only breeding ewes, of course; and our 
own would be bred in the West, to save the necessity of buying and caring 
for rams during the winter. We would contract to deliver ewes at a stated 
price, served with ram in tho West for lambing at about the right period 
East, if such course was thought desirable by the buyers. Then for a 
second season they would have to provide themselves with rams. 

The Shenandoah Valley, from Hagerstown to Bristol, is a higher- 
priced country than where our place is located, we think ; and, outside the 
more severe winters, it may be preferable to our locality. There are now 
many sheep in the section you name, we have been told ; but farmers 
cannot raise too many sheep. Common Virginia sheep can be bought, a 
fev head at a time, for less money than our band cost us. But the sheep 



we are nandling are of merino blood, and desirable to breed up from. I 
am of the opiuion that farmers would hesitate to pay $4 or $4.25 })er 
head for sheep, though they might do so for sheep bucked, as we suggest. 
They certainly are profitable at the price. Our band cost us $4 laid at our 
station. 

Wherever sheep-growing has been made a success, it has enriched the 
country in more ways than in the mere profit accruing to the grower. It is 
a good industry to foster. Here in the West, on free grass, sheep are run 
at small expense ; but losses are large, and transportation to market so ex- 
pensive that sheep can be grown fully as successfully on land at $5 to iJlO 
per acre as on free grass. Then ranges are becoming more and more 
restricted every year ; and, as this becomes more so, farmers will fir d sheep 
more and more profitable in smaller bands. 

I expect to visit Virginia in August, if business will perndt ; and, if crops 
are prosperous in the Valley this season, it may be possible for us to handle 
some sheep with a small margin to ourselves. We now own some 8,000 to 
10,000 head here in New Mexico ; and, if I could make some contracts 
while there during the summer, for delivery in the late fall, I would not 
hesitate to do so. 

If through your channels of information you have any means of finding- 
out the disposition of the people along your roads on tins question, I would 
be very glad to know what their feelings are ; and, if there seems to be 
anything in the matter of mutual interest, I would try to see you personally 
during the summer, while I am in that sectiv>n. It ought not to be hard to 
dispose of 1,000 sheep, in lots of 50 or 100 head, in a comparative restricted 
section. And, if the outcome was good, we could handle a larger shipment 
another season. 

I will be very glad to hear froni you again on the sheep question, and 
to know your general views on my suggestions. I will remain here until 
about July 1, and be in the East after that time. My permanent address is 
112 Michigan Street, Chicago, which is the main house of our concern. 

AVill add, in the way of general remarks, that from now forward beef 
will be higher priced on account of the restricted ranges and periodical 
large losses in heavy cattle ; farmers will be unable to produce cattle at the 
prices which range cattle have been selling at; and, wliile steers cannot be 
matured in less than three years, sheep are maiketable in large quantities 
from the age of four months until too old for service. And there is no 
other animal in existence which will give its increase and pay for its keep- 
ing and interest on the investment (by the wool) as sheep will do, if handled 
with ordinary intelligence. 

Trusting my long letter has not fatigued you, and that 1 may be favored 
with another communication from you, I remain. 

Yours truly, 
(Signed) E. J. IIuling. 



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